Hidden Fury
by EleusinianMysteries
Summary: What if the deceased, unnamed, dark-haired child of Cersei's was only one of those things? At birth Ottalie Baratheon was swapped for a sickly newborn and is only told of her parentage when Westeros is falling to the hands of the Faith of the Seven, and the North is under threat from White Walkers. Will Ottalie make any difference to the doomed fate of the Seven Kingdoms?
1. Prologue

Cersei Lannister had always played her cards close to her chest, and the most secretive move she had ever made was silencing the news of the death of hers and King Roberts first born. If the whispers were to be believed, the world thought her first born to have been a son, but he was not. Cersei's first born had in fact been a little dark-haired girl who was as healthy as a child could be. But many moons before the child's birth she had sent a letter to House Black and White - as she was still young and naive in many ways - and had asked them to aid her regardless of the cost as she was a Lannister and they always pay their debts. She had been unaware that House Black and White would take her first born from her, as she had assumed it would only be a monetary cost, and in the tired state she was from a long birthing they swapped out her child for a sickly one.

The Queen Regent's hands shook as she read the letter in her hands. She had felt a hole in her heart since the moment her first born had died; King Robert had held her in his arms for hours as she screamed and cried from the loss. But to hear that the child she mourned over wasn't hers? She wanted to scream for another reason now. If it wasn't for the fact Tommen had left her with so few men she would have sent all the men she had to tear House Black and White apart before searching for her daughter. Her daughter had been called Ottalie, which meant 'wealth', as she was the 'wealth' she possessed that they took as payment for their services.

Jaime walked in to his twin's room, still wearing his armour from seizing Redrun and saw his beloved pacing the room.

"What is wrong, my love?" He asked as he tried to wrap her up in his arms but she pushed him away.

"I have had a part of my heart wrongfully taken for longer than any of our children have lived. They took my baby from me and gave me something that tore me apart instead. Look!" She handed the crumpled parchment over to Jaime and his face slowly dropped the further he read.

"They used your own words against you and took her away from you? I was in the room when they swapped the babies, how did I not notice?!" Jaime was furious at himself more than anything as he had watched on as his sister had fallen to pieces when her first born had died. At the time he had wished he could do something to stop the suffering, but all this could have been avoided if he'd stopped them from changing the newborns.

"This means that Tommen is no longer the rightful King, there is another who can take his crown." Cersei whispered to Jaime.

"The Faith of the Seven have Tommen under their command without him realising it, they will do anything in their power to keep in on the throne as he is the reason they have control of King's Landing... No offence my love." Jaime cringed inside when Cersei stared daggers at him for saying how weak their son was.

"The High Sparrow knows of my incest with Lancel to be true, lets not add you to the list." She hissed.

"They can't though," Jaime smiled, "as doing so would mean they admit that Tommen is a false King."

"It doesn't mean they won't take it in to consideration when they put me on trial. Especially now that trial by combat is no longer allowed, we need to tread carefully."

For the rest of the day Cersei remained in her room, coming to terms that she has another child and what affect this could have on her life. If the girl grew up in House Black and White then there was no doubt she would be a strong woman, but if she would be merciless against Tommen if she came to Westeros was what worried Cersei. Stannis's remaining men would rally for Ottalie's cause, but they stood no chance again all the men in King's Landing, as any Lannister men her father had lent to the crown before his death were now loyal to the crown and not her. The commoners were loyal to the crown and the High Sparrow as well, and they would do what they could to aid there new King. The only thing Cersei could possibly do would be to write to her daughter and ask her to grant her asylum.

In the time Cersei had spare before her trial she spent her time deciding what she could take with her easily if she were to escape the Red Keep undetected. In the end she settled on several pieces of jewellery that held significant importance to her, her two favourite expensive dresses and various garments intended for travelling in and finally the sword "Widow's Wail" as a gift to give her daughter to signify that she is actually the only true-born child. When Jaime had told her he had given "Oathkeeper" to Brienne of Tarthe she had been furious, but now here she was giving away it's sistersword as a sign of none-political alliance. Just as Jaime couldn't give Brienne any military aid, nor could Cersei help her daughter.

Two nights before her trial Cersei fled the Red Keep for Dragonstone where her daughter was rumoured to now be. She had not spoken a word to anyone, not even her twin, on her plans to escape. With everything that was missing from her room she knew Jaime could put two and two together quickly, it would only be a matter of how quickly everyone else would know where to search. She had planned and prepared everything to the point that The Mountain no longer wore his usual golden armour and instead cheaper, simple armour and his sword hilt and scabbard had been covered in soot to hide the gold colour. Qyburn had acquired a brunette wig for her to wear and had taken Cersei's advice to leave King's Landing for "official reasons" the previous week.

When the tiny vessel Cersei had used to reach Dragonstone finally docked she was surprised to find no-one stood at the docks to tell her she was not allowed in. Instead hundreds of soldiers stood in lines running down the pier on each side and when she looked up to see where they stopped she saw a woman walking towards her. The woman wore a very tight fitting pale gold dress with the same coloured detailing adorning the entire dress (and a few darker patches that when the woman got closer she saw were stags made from beads) in a style Cersei could only assume was something more common in Valyrian cities. The dress didn't flare out from her waist and instead followed the curve of her shapely figure until a few inches above her knees. It was sickening to Cersei but the woman stood before her was more beautiful than she was, her figure was fuller yet she still had a small waist and her skin was perfectly smooth and glowed from the sun's rays fractionally deepening its colour. The woman had long dark hair and striking blue eyes and it was only when she took note of this that she realised that she was staring at her daughter.

"Ottalie?"

"Mother?"

Both women asked one-another at the same time.


	2. The Changing of the Guard

**POV: Ottalie**

I knew from birth that my mother had drunk moon tea to get rid of me, but I had been born strong enough to survive the ordeal. It left me weaker than most for the first few years of my life, but once I caught up I was no different than if I had been born on time. Jaqen had said the gods had use for me, and death was not it. Initially I had not believed him, but by the time I was ten and two I had seen enough children die in infancy, being born at the same age I was, to start believing in gods. The idea of the gods having names and faces seemed daft to me; no one has seen them so how do we know what they look like or are called? This made me choose to believe in the Old Gods of the Forest and the Many-Faced God.

When I received the letter from my mother telling me she was coming to Dragonstone I didn't know what to feel. A part of me was bitter that she hadn't wanted me, but the other part of me longed for a mother in my life. After much thought I decided it was best working things through with her when I wasn't so worried about the fate of Westeros. I knew she genuinely mourned over the apparent death of her firstborn, so if I hadn't been taken away I was fairly certain she would have cared for me well. This is what was making everything so difficult in decided how I should act towards her.

My mother was a deceitful and manipulative woman; she had yet to say anything in that manner to me but I could see it in her eyes. She was curious, as any woman would be if there child turned up alive, however the questions she asked about me always led on to areas of conversation that if answered carelessly could be used against me. One question she kept asking me was what I did in House Black and White, to which I always answered with the easy lie of being just a maid. I told her I helped in the kitchens and cleaned the living quarters - which I did for the first few years of being there whilst I recovered from my severe malnutrition - and omitted the fact that I had travelled across Essos assassinating whoever's name I was given.

The night came quickly and we sat in the glass gardens to have our evening meal. The cooks were still busy trying to cook every dish in Westeros that I had yet to try so tonight we had a small feast of dishes common to the Storm Lands. There was roasted hog, pheasant and a variety of vegetables I had never seen or eaten in such a way.

"What brought you back to Westeros?" Cersei asked me.

"I am at an age of marriage, as you can probably tell. House Black and White relieved me from my duties to them and told me of my family in Westeros. It would have been foolish of me to remain in Braavos or any Valyrian city as I would have still had nothing in my name. The most I could have hoped for is a knight captivated by my looks alone, so a stupid knight." I told her truthfully.

"I suppose if any commoner was told they could be a Lord or Lady they would be." She hummed in agreement.

"Not always... I grew up on the streets of Braavos, so I knew its peoples and their ways. Coming to Westeros, being an outsider and becoming a Lady felt like too much change at once for me to handle successfully. But desperate times call for desperate measures." I told her.

"Desperate times?" She raised her eyebrows at me questioningly.

"War is about to break again. Daenerys Targaryen has every city in Slaver's Bay in her command, she'll make her way to Westeros soon and take every city in her path as she goes. King Tommen is incapable of leading in war, and he has lost everyone cut-throat enough to guide him." I told her bluntly.

"The Targaryen girl has gained that much support over there? I thought her strength was just horse-fodder..." She raised her eyebrows.

"Her dragons have grown enough to take down ships and conquer cities. So in the morn you'll get on a boat to Lorath and shed your name. You have the whole journey there to think of a convincing name and history. I've written a letter explaining everything you need to do."

"You'd send me away so soon?" She hissed as she stood up from her chair.

"You are a fugitive and at high risk in any city that knows much about the politics of Westeros. Lorath is isolated enough to be the safest place for you but is still exotic enough to keep you amused." I remained sat down as I spoke.

"I don't see why-"

"You are no longer in control of anything in Westeros, so remaining gives you no benefits, just something to control Tommen with. If you are half as clever as I am told you will get on the ship tomorrow and be grateful I've done more than spare you." I silenced her with my words and she sat back down quickly.

"Once this is all over then maybe I can get to know you as a mother, but right now we don't have such luxuries." I stated.

"No, we don't... Will you take care of Tommen for me?" She asked quietly.

"It is the reason why I am sending you away. I will send a raven in the morn saying my men spotted a small vessel yesterday sailing past without permission, but it never came close enough to Dragonstone for us to forcefully dock it." I told her.

"But the ship is still here?"

"A few of my men dealt with the ship, it is currently on its way to Volantis. So when the King gets his men to find which direction it went they'll get word from Stonedance saying it sailed south past them."

"... You'd have been a good lady in King's Landing's courts." She smiled.

"Men fight with fists or weapons and women fight with words. It is no different for commoners than it is nobility." I told her.

"I wish you luck, for even I have failed in doing what you plan on doing. Tommen is under the High Sparrow's influence too greatly for even I to break." She admitted as she stood to leave the room.

"Maybe... It would be a great help if you wrote down anything important like that for me to use, I am going to play the game as clever but naive. But knowing the facts could help me play naive in the correct places." I told her.

"... I will see what I have time for." She said then left the room.

The following morn she left before I woke, thank the gods as she would have sworn at me when she saw the ship she was to be travelling on. The outside made it look like an old whaling vessel, but in the belly of the ship her quarters were expensively furnished and well kept. Hopefully my men had been able to get her to co-operate well enough for her to get in the boat, as she would have settled down when she saw her rooms. I dressed myself in a simple blue dress, a colour not dissimilar to my eyes, before going to the room Cersei stayed in. The first thing I noticed was a golden sword on her bed, and a letter propped up against its hilt. I opened the letter and read the contents several times carefully as to not overlook any hidden meanings.

 _Dear Ottalie,_

 _Whilst I do not blame you for keeping me at arm's reach, it saddens me that you have. I once had three children who loved me as I loved them, and now I have one and a daughter who treats me as a stranger. After everything has settled I would like to know you as a mother should know their daughter, but you appear strong and independent enough to not need me so I guess what will happen between us is up to you._

 _You probably already know I took moon tea during my pregnancy with you, but if I could go back I would not have taken it. You look so much like your father that he probably would have doted on you more than my other children, and maybe he might have settled to be a better King. But the past cannot be changed... If you can help Tommen as I wish I could then you've achieved more than I could hope from anyone. In a show of my faith for you I have given you "Stormbringer", a sword that was gifted to your brother Joffery on his wedding day by your grandfather Tywin Lannister. Joffery had called the sword "Widow's Wail", but I felt it was a name now unsuitable thus renamed it._

 _I chose the name purely on the fact you are more Baratheon than Lannister, so the name had to reflect that. Robert - your father - had once said whilst drunk that a Baratheon's fury if unleashed is a storm greater than any man can survive. After seeing a glimpse of your fury I do believe he was probably right._

 _I would like to be informed as often as possible on the well-being of my son and also my brother Jaime._

 _From,_

 _Your mother Cersei_

I fell silent for many minutes after reading the letter as I saw the mother's love she had for Tommen, and could have had for me. Thankfully I had sent her Lorath rather than handing her back over to the High Sparrow as maybe one day I could have a relationship with her that was out of love rather than political gain. I dismissed the letter for later, tucking it in my knife holder on my right thigh, and picked up Stormbringer. The sword was well crafted, and upon further inspection I realised it was Valyrian steel. The sheath appeared golden yet it was actually in fact black but with so much gold detailing it filled every available space. All the details and the hilt were stag themed to show it was a Baratheon sword. However the ruby in the hilt and the lack of black made me feel this was designed to be easily mistaken for a Lannister sword, or to show the alliance between both houses.

Sat on the writing desk, just as she had written, was a thick pile of papers all filled with writing. I tucked them in to a random book on the shelves above the desk and returned to my own chambers, where I placed the book back on a shelf. With my mother handing me a copy of all her secrets, a sword and the responsibility of caring for her son I couldn't help but feel this was almost like the changing of the guards at castles - the change was efficient and there was little verbal exchange between them as the one who had just done his shift was exhausted and the one just started grumpy at the thought of hours in silence. The papers intrigued me greatly but I did not have the time to read through it all at that moment in time, instead I had an impatient Arya hiding in her rooms.

I believe I was given a name and released as Jaqen had allowed Arya to leave, and he needed someone to guide Arya in Westeros. With the white walkers coming the North had to be strong, thus the Starks, to stop Westeros being a never ending graveyard. I had boarded the same ship as Arya, and during the journey convinced her to stop with me at Dragonstone before continuing North to her remaining family. She needed time to sit and decide how she could aid her family - and rushing to Winterfell would be the worst thing to do. Nobody knew if she was even alive, so she could utilise her skills from House Black and White before returning to Jon and Sansa where everyone would watch her every move. One thing I know I'd have to drill in to her was what is expected of a lady. If I could convince her that if you are able to be a normal lady then be just that; keep what you are actually capable of hidden from those who aren't family. To do this though I'd need Brienne's help, as just the sight of her would make Arya kick off about not being able to wear armour or trousers all the time.

The moment my knuckles left the door from me knocking on it, Arya had flung the wooden panel open with a force I was surprised a girl could posses.

"She is gone, I sent her away this morn to Essos." I told her simply.

"What if someone spots her?" Aria asked me as we walked towards the kitchens to get food.

"Then it's up to them what they do with her. But she is going to a city that has little concern over Westeros politics."

"But you've finally found your mother? ... I would do anything to have my mother back, so why send her away?" She muttered.

"I grew up without parents, and so did the children I grew up with. I have no concept on what loving parents are, I have only seen and heard them sell their children to gain something for themselves. Right now Westeros is under threat from the Targaryen in Mereen and white walkers, when I can afford to spend the time getting to know her properly I will. But now is not the time." I told Arya.

"I only remember Cersei being a bitch as she had Lady killed, so maybe not getting to know her isn't a bad thing." She said bluntly and I couldn't help but laugh.

"After we eat we'll go and have some clothes made for you like mine." I told her.

"You need to have some more dresses made as well. You are the King's sister so you should be dressed in the most expensive of clothes." Aria pointed out.

"I have plenty of dresses from my time as no-one."

"I was never no-one, not really." She admitted.

"As was I. Being no-one isn't about cutting yourself from who you are, it's about shedding your desires and becoming someone else without acting on impulses that you would have being your original self. When I was in Lys an old man once told me everyone is someone and no-one; they are someone to those they know and no-one to the rest of the world. It was then I realised that becoming no-one was only an exercise to help make wearing the faces more easily."

"I wander what the Waif thought of being no-one?" Arya thought out loud.

"The Waif was a broken woman, her mind a mess. It was why Jaqen never let her leave his side - someone who can wear faces and is uncontrollable is a massive problem." I explained.

"Can we still wear faces?"

"Yes... This is why you can't go back to Winterfell just yet." I told her.

 **POV: Jon**

The "Battle of the Bastards" is what everyone was calling the fight between my men and Ramsey's over Winterfell. It was just another reminder of who I really was; a Snow. I sat in the training yard, Ghost lay on the ground by my feet, as I cleaned the dried blood off Longclaw. The sword was crafted from Valyrian steel so did not require sharpening as often as regular steel did, but maybe it needed to after a battle. I had only just stood up when Sansa ran in to the yard, clutching at several letters like her life depended on it. When she spotted me she walked as fast as a lady could to my side, and for the first time since I reunited with her I saw more hope in her eyes than I thought possible.

"Just read these Jon, that one first." She thrust a letter in to my hands that had the royal seal stamped on it.

When I finished reading the letter I looked up at Sansa in disbelief, but before I could speak she snatched the parchment out of my hands and replaced it with another.

"Now this one." She ordered and I read as I was instructed. I noticed this time it was the Baratheon seal and not the Baratheon of King's Landing.

"She knows of the white walkers... How?" I frowned.

"I do not know, but she said she will be travelling North as soon as she can to give aid. She also said she'll hold off the King's men from the North as long as possible so our men can concentrate on the white walkers... This gives us a chance, but why would she be willing to help us so much? She does not know us, she doesn't know anyone in Westeros." Sansa frowned.

"She's either well aware of the threat white walkers pose or there's something we're missing. There must be something she wants." I muttered.

"She had Storm's End, Dragonstone and all of Stannis and Renly's men. The Houses that swore an oath to either Baratheon will now swear to her as there is no-one else they can swear to. The Lannister's are down to just Jaime as Cersei had fled, the Tyrells are unable to go against the crown as their heir is locked away by the High Sparrow and it's the Queen's house. She singlehandedly can run the Stormlands without any interference or need for conflict." Sansa explained.

"... Why turn up now? After all these years?" I asked her.

"I don't know... I guess we'll find out when she arrives. I'll have the repairs to Winterfell prioritised as much as I can... Maybe I can request food from Princess Ottalie on the basis of being unable to provide a worthy feast for her arrival so close to the coming winter."

"Maybe... We need all we can get right now. The wildlings can teach us how they survived winter without food stored away, but catering for the castle is different than a group of wildlings." I replied.

When Sansa left I immediately went to find Ser Davos. He served Stannis Baratheon for many years before Castle Black, so he would at least have a greater understanding of the strongholds the Baratheon's had in the South. I eventually found him in the Great Hall eating his evening meal next to Tormund. Deciding I needed to eat as well, I filled a bowl full of snow rabbit broth and dipped a crust of bread in to it.

"Have you heard?" I asked Davos.

"Heard what?" He frowned.

"There is another Baratheon, the King confirmed it in a letter Sansa received today, a Princess Royal Ottalie Baratheon. He's given her both Storm's End and Dragonstone." I told him.

"That's rather a shock... How is she related?" He asked me.

"The King's older sister. That child that was rumoured to have died in infancy was actually just swapped for a sickly thing, it was written that Jon Arryn suspected she was swapped so it would weaken the King's marriage but he had no evidence to prove the boy she held wasn't actually hers." I explained.

"So there's record in the Citadel that she is actually a Baratheon... Robert did have a true born child then. I wonder what she looks like? Shireen looked so much like her father that I can almost imagine Ottalie looking like hers." Davos mused.

"She'll be as frigid as an old crow, so it doesn't really matter." Tormund replied and I couldn't help but frown at him.

"It doesn't say, but she is journeying to Winterfell after visiting her brother in King's Landing." I admitted.

"She's coming here? Why?" Davos asked.

"I don't know, but she's bringing as many of her men as she feels she can spare to help fight the white walkers."

"Hang on, she knows about the white walkers?" Davos frowned.

"My thoughts exactly." I hummed in agreement.

"Who cares." Tormund shrugged then left the table to get more food.

"For once I'm actually inclined to do as he is," Davos said, "She's new to all this and has more than we do. What could she possibly want to gain from the North?"

"Nothing I hope." I muttered into my stew.


End file.
